I am back from Honduras. We had to come back early because of the unrest and we all were a bit disappointed about that, but trusting that God knows best. We did what we could while we were there and will continue to pray for our new friends down there. What a blessing they were to us!
I have been reading lately about diet and nutrition. I am learning a lot. Not sure where I will settle in some of the things that I am learning, but just in the middle of research right now. I pulled a book off the shelf that I have had for a while now entitled "The Eat Clean Diet" and it's companion cookbook. That cookbook is where I am getting my new recipes for this week. It is a big week.......all new recipes. Wade is in training for his 100 mile "Hotter Than H..." bike ride next month. This cookbook looked like what we were looking to do with his nutrition prep. I hope the family likes some of these recipes. I am excited because there are a lot of grain recipes and I love grains! Here's what we are having this week:
Monday - Slow Cooker Chicken Cassoulet/Orzo Primavera
Tuesday - Turkey Loaf to Live By/Wild Rice Summer Salad
Wednesday - leftovers because of youth
Thursday - Baked Tilapia/Green Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad/Wild Grain Rice Pilaf
Friday - You Build It Lasagna/Greek Salad
Saturday - Lydia gets to cook whatever she wants this night. :)
Looking forward to cooking again!
July 6, 2009
June 26, 2009
Big Week
This has been a big week for me......and, no, I am not talking about Farrah Faucet and Michael Jackson!
We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary last night. We went to eat some Bang Bang Shrimp which we both love! It is so good! I love my husband and I'm so glad I am married to my best friend. He is my most favorite person in the world. And that guy loves me so much! I am so spoiled!
Then tomorrow Luke and I are leaving for Honduras with our youth group. We are taking 22 students and 7 adults. We are going to encourage some missionaries there and the wife and I went to college together. We were not close friends, but were on the same floor one year. God has done so much in my life in the past 21 years that I can't wait to see her and share. Pray that we can be an encouragement to Lori and her family.
So this week has been busy with preparing for the trip since last week we were camping. I have felt behind all week long, but I feel better today since "the booklet" was finished and printing when I left the church yesterday afternoon. Today I hope to spend the day with the kids. We are starting with Krispie Kreme this morning.
Please be in prayer for our team as we go. Pray that God will use our frail efforts to bring glory to Himself and to further His kingdom. To God be the glory!
We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary last night. We went to eat some Bang Bang Shrimp which we both love! It is so good! I love my husband and I'm so glad I am married to my best friend. He is my most favorite person in the world. And that guy loves me so much! I am so spoiled!
Then tomorrow Luke and I are leaving for Honduras with our youth group. We are taking 22 students and 7 adults. We are going to encourage some missionaries there and the wife and I went to college together. We were not close friends, but were on the same floor one year. God has done so much in my life in the past 21 years that I can't wait to see her and share. Pray that we can be an encouragement to Lori and her family.
So this week has been busy with preparing for the trip since last week we were camping. I have felt behind all week long, but I feel better today since "the booklet" was finished and printing when I left the church yesterday afternoon. Today I hope to spend the day with the kids. We are starting with Krispie Kreme this morning.
Please be in prayer for our team as we go. Pray that God will use our frail efforts to bring glory to Himself and to further His kingdom. To God be the glory!
June 17, 2009
Warning!
I find myself in several long-term battles which God has designed for me. I have gone through many different phases of faith and lack of faith........fear, doubt, discouragement, anger, ineffective in ministry as well as hope, joy, encouragement, faithfulness and faith. After 2-3 years in the struggle, God is growing my view of Him and my faith in His plan. I have many moments of weakness and sinfulness when I am looking only at my circumstances and how I can fix them, but God is continuing to "show up" in my life in ways that my blinded eyes can see clearly........showing me His love, His faithfulness, His power, His sovereignty, His character.
In my private worship time this morning, I was so convicted and encouraged by one quote that applied to these long term battles we face as believers. I share it with you, praying God uses it to open your eyes to see where you have turned your gaze horizontal, rather than vertical.
"Beware! Long-term battle can cause vision impairment if eyes focus anywhere but up!"
That vision impairment means we have made our struggles bigger than they are and bigger than God; we have made ourselves bigger than we need to be (in our own minds) and yet weaker than we should be because we are not relying on God's power; and we have tried to make God smaller and weaker than our circumstances. Shame on me! As the song goes, "I am ashamed; O Lord, forgive."
God bless!
In my private worship time this morning, I was so convicted and encouraged by one quote that applied to these long term battles we face as believers. I share it with you, praying God uses it to open your eyes to see where you have turned your gaze horizontal, rather than vertical.
"Beware! Long-term battle can cause vision impairment if eyes focus anywhere but up!"
That vision impairment means we have made our struggles bigger than they are and bigger than God; we have made ourselves bigger than we need to be (in our own minds) and yet weaker than we should be because we are not relying on God's power; and we have tried to make God smaller and weaker than our circumstances. Shame on me! As the song goes, "I am ashamed; O Lord, forgive."
God bless!
June 11, 2009
Happy Birthday, Lydia!
Today, 11 years ago, God blessed us with our Lydia Ann Arnold. Wade and I thought we were "done" after 2 kids, but God did a work in my life about the time Leah turned 2. Yes, we had a boy and a girl at the time, but I was longing for another child and a bigger family. It took Wade a few years to come along, but eventually he did.
However, God chose to test our faith. We got pregnant in 1996, but lost the baby at 12 weeks. It was devastating for me! I was sooooo sad and depressed, but that is another story for another day.
In 1997, the Lord blessed us with another pregnancy and Lydia Ann was born on June 11, 1998. We did find out what sex this child would be because I wanted to sew for the baby. I made a few dresses for her while waiting on her to be born.
Throughout the pregnancy, I wanted the baby to be named Anna Elizabeth. Wade didn't like Anna. He wanted something else, but he couldn't decide what. We tried many names, but couldn't come up with another one until the last minute. We decided (I thought) on Olivia after my father-in-law's sister who died young. However, when Lydia was born, Wade forgot about Olivia. He was so afraid that I was going to name the girl Anna that he quickly said, "She looks like a 'Lydia.' " Lydia was my second choice for a girl name when we had Leah. That's all he could remember. So she became Lydia Ann. I do love her name and after knowing her for 11 years, she is a "Lydia" not an "Anna."
Happy, happy birthday, sweet girl! You are so much like your mom! I am already praying for you, girl! You had made us laugh for many, many years and I look forward to many years of loving you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYDIA!
June 9, 2009
Saying a Temporary Good-bye to "GG"
We told you guys (the few that follow this little blog) that we had to reschedule our vacation because Wade's grandmother, better known as "GG" to my kids, was close to death. We are so glad we did not leave. She passed from this sin-sick world into the presence of her God last Thursday night around 11:15pm. We buried her yesterday in Memphis.
We were able to take the kids to see her and say our "good-byes" the Friday before she died. I went again to see her, but she became unresponsive. My mother-in-law really wanted to be there for her when she died.......just didn't want her to die alone, but God had plans for her to pass from this life to the next a couple of hours after Nancy left her side.
GG has come to mean a lot to me since marrying into this family 21 years ago this month. We would pass through Memphis and see her on our way to visit my family when my parents lived in Nashville. She lived downtown in a beautiful old home with a great wrap-around porch. It was an older home that had lots of different smaller rooms unlike our homes now that boast of a lot of open spaces.
Each time we would come through, GG would cook for us. She was well known for her "greasy burgers" mostly. Everyone on the family called them "greasy burgers" but no one told me that they didn't say it to her face. I did one day and, thankfully, she laughed. She made homemade pimento cheese (which I happen to love) and fried the best chicken in town! She cooked mostly in a cast iron skillet and a lot of it was friend. It was always so yummy!
She was a wonderful seamstress. Everytime we would come through, she would go through her stash and give me something. She knew I was just learning to sew, but wanted to encourage it. She was quite the giver. She loved serving her family.
About 11 years ago, GG had a heart attack. She came to live with Tom and Nancy after this health struggle. It was a sad day when her home had to be cleaned out and sold. BUT we so enjoyed having her out here with us! Because we live on property with my in-laws, we were able to see GG anytime we wanted to. My kids lived with a great-grandparent right there with them.
She taught me how to quilt, especially the cathedral window quilt. She was constantly moving, doing something. Even when she couldn't get around very much, she always had a handwork needle project in her hand. I have pillow cases that she made me and my kids have quilts. She made table runners, pillows, quilt tops....whatever Nancy gave her to work on, she did it until she couldn't see enough to do it anymore. All of her work was well done and looked beautiful! I love my pillow cases, especially now that she is gone.
We will miss GG, but I am not sad. Her health had moved her to a place of very poor quality of life. It was hard to see her in the fetal position and her body all drawn up. The last day I saw her, she was trying to say something to me and Wade, but we couldn't understand her. It was a very sad moment. I wanted to hear everything she had to say in those last days. I never heard GG say an unkind word about anyone. If she thought something unkind, she never let it slip from her lips. That is a trait I would like to imitate.
My great comfort is that I will see GG again one day. She will have a new body and will be singing and worshipping. She prayed often for my family and I will miss that. I am just so excited that she is seeing her Savior face to face and has no tears, no sadness at all.
Thank You, Lord, for the life of Ella Wese Grant. Thank You that I was able to know her and spend time with her. Thank You for her faith in You. Thank You for taking her to heaven to be with You.
We were able to take the kids to see her and say our "good-byes" the Friday before she died. I went again to see her, but she became unresponsive. My mother-in-law really wanted to be there for her when she died.......just didn't want her to die alone, but God had plans for her to pass from this life to the next a couple of hours after Nancy left her side.
GG has come to mean a lot to me since marrying into this family 21 years ago this month. We would pass through Memphis and see her on our way to visit my family when my parents lived in Nashville. She lived downtown in a beautiful old home with a great wrap-around porch. It was an older home that had lots of different smaller rooms unlike our homes now that boast of a lot of open spaces.
Each time we would come through, GG would cook for us. She was well known for her "greasy burgers" mostly. Everyone on the family called them "greasy burgers" but no one told me that they didn't say it to her face. I did one day and, thankfully, she laughed. She made homemade pimento cheese (which I happen to love) and fried the best chicken in town! She cooked mostly in a cast iron skillet and a lot of it was friend. It was always so yummy!
She was a wonderful seamstress. Everytime we would come through, she would go through her stash and give me something. She knew I was just learning to sew, but wanted to encourage it. She was quite the giver. She loved serving her family.
About 11 years ago, GG had a heart attack. She came to live with Tom and Nancy after this health struggle. It was a sad day when her home had to be cleaned out and sold. BUT we so enjoyed having her out here with us! Because we live on property with my in-laws, we were able to see GG anytime we wanted to. My kids lived with a great-grandparent right there with them.
She taught me how to quilt, especially the cathedral window quilt. She was constantly moving, doing something. Even when she couldn't get around very much, she always had a handwork needle project in her hand. I have pillow cases that she made me and my kids have quilts. She made table runners, pillows, quilt tops....whatever Nancy gave her to work on, she did it until she couldn't see enough to do it anymore. All of her work was well done and looked beautiful! I love my pillow cases, especially now that she is gone.
We will miss GG, but I am not sad. Her health had moved her to a place of very poor quality of life. It was hard to see her in the fetal position and her body all drawn up. The last day I saw her, she was trying to say something to me and Wade, but we couldn't understand her. It was a very sad moment. I wanted to hear everything she had to say in those last days. I never heard GG say an unkind word about anyone. If she thought something unkind, she never let it slip from her lips. That is a trait I would like to imitate.
My great comfort is that I will see GG again one day. She will have a new body and will be singing and worshipping. She prayed often for my family and I will miss that. I am just so excited that she is seeing her Savior face to face and has no tears, no sadness at all.
Thank You, Lord, for the life of Ella Wese Grant. Thank You that I was able to know her and spend time with her. Thank You for her faith in You. Thank You for taking her to heaven to be with You.
June 3, 2009
A Project to Help a Friend and Her Ministry
Last year the women in our family did a lot of crocheting. My mom, two sisters, two daughters, as well as a couple of friends made a lot of scarves as we were learning new crocheting stitches. I even learned how to make fingerless gloves and hats. (I love fingerless gloves for driving and Kay had made me some. Lydia decided she wanted some and I wanted to learn how to make them). We bought a ton of yarn on sale and clearance with big dreams of giving gifts. There was one store going out of business and I think we bought all of the yarn she had when it went to the lowest price!
My friend, Christy, is a full-time missionary in New Mexico at Broken Arrow Bible Ranch. She heard me talk often about the things we were making. One day in passing, she mentioned that those would make good Christmas gifts for the Indian girls she ministers to during the week. I had wondered how I would ever use all of this yarn that we bought on clearance! There are only so many hats, gloves and scarves a person (and her family) need or want, right?
Long story short, my mom and I have decided to use up all the yarn we have by making hats for these 1st-6th grade girls. I am so excited to be able to help Christy in some way in her ministry. This is a practical, fun way for me and my whole family to get involved in missions.
We have researched hat patterns for a while online and experimented with several patterns. We have found a certain pattern that we like best, but are still making several different kinds. We are using many different kinds of yarn and the hats are a rainbow of colors because we are using the yarn we have in our "stashes." It is fun to see a new hat emerge!
Since Lydia is still a beginner, her personal goal is just to finish one hat. Mom and I are doing most of them. My older sister wants to help so badly, but is having wrist trouble (had an MRI today on it) and has been told to NOT crochet until the problem is resolved. Leah will be helping me as she can. She and Lydia both do well in crocheting; Leah's just very busy.
I will have to post some pictures of the different hats me make. Some are big, some are small. Some are floppier than others. Almost all of them have pom-poms at the top because we think the kids will like those.
We were making our own pom-poms on top, but mine were not looking like I wanted them to. So last week I bought a pom-pom maker on sale at Hobby Lobby. I just today was able to try it out and I love it! So easy to use and makes them very symmetrical! I love it and am going to encourage my mom to get one, too.
We have already talked about our next missions' project: scarves for Serbia (my dad goes there) and Burma (Wade's dad goes there). It gets cold both places and the people there would love to have something personal and colorful. That will be our 2010 project.
It is so fulfilling to make these for someone else. Just making scarves and hats to make them, hoping I would have someone to give them to (like last Christmas) was fun, but this is WAY better! I am hoping Christy will send us pictures of the kids receiving them. Hint, hint!
May God further our tiny efforts. May the kids see the love of Christ in our little service project. We will show them the gospel by our actions; Christy will tell them the words of the gospel.
My friend, Christy, is a full-time missionary in New Mexico at Broken Arrow Bible Ranch. She heard me talk often about the things we were making. One day in passing, she mentioned that those would make good Christmas gifts for the Indian girls she ministers to during the week. I had wondered how I would ever use all of this yarn that we bought on clearance! There are only so many hats, gloves and scarves a person (and her family) need or want, right?
Long story short, my mom and I have decided to use up all the yarn we have by making hats for these 1st-6th grade girls. I am so excited to be able to help Christy in some way in her ministry. This is a practical, fun way for me and my whole family to get involved in missions.
We have researched hat patterns for a while online and experimented with several patterns. We have found a certain pattern that we like best, but are still making several different kinds. We are using many different kinds of yarn and the hats are a rainbow of colors because we are using the yarn we have in our "stashes." It is fun to see a new hat emerge!
Since Lydia is still a beginner, her personal goal is just to finish one hat. Mom and I are doing most of them. My older sister wants to help so badly, but is having wrist trouble (had an MRI today on it) and has been told to NOT crochet until the problem is resolved. Leah will be helping me as she can. She and Lydia both do well in crocheting; Leah's just very busy.
I will have to post some pictures of the different hats me make. Some are big, some are small. Some are floppier than others. Almost all of them have pom-poms at the top because we think the kids will like those.
We were making our own pom-poms on top, but mine were not looking like I wanted them to. So last week I bought a pom-pom maker on sale at Hobby Lobby. I just today was able to try it out and I love it! So easy to use and makes them very symmetrical! I love it and am going to encourage my mom to get one, too.
We have already talked about our next missions' project: scarves for Serbia (my dad goes there) and Burma (Wade's dad goes there). It gets cold both places and the people there would love to have something personal and colorful. That will be our 2010 project.
It is so fulfilling to make these for someone else. Just making scarves and hats to make them, hoping I would have someone to give them to (like last Christmas) was fun, but this is WAY better! I am hoping Christy will send us pictures of the kids receiving them. Hint, hint!
May God further our tiny efforts. May the kids see the love of Christ in our little service project. We will show them the gospel by our actions; Christy will tell them the words of the gospel.
June 2, 2009
My Plans, God's Plans
Since January, the theme of my life has been that I can make all the plans I want, but God will direct my steps. I plan; God changes those plans. This week was again one of those weeks.
We were supposed to be heading out to Branson with Wade's parents last Friday through this Friday. However, on Thursday night, in the midst of piling things by the back door to load into the Suburban, Wade's mom called to say that she couldn't go. Long story short, her mom, affectionately known as "GG" to my kids and "Maw" to Wade, had taken a turn for the worse and she didn't want to leave her. Well, we didn't want to go without them, so we decided to reschedule. We wanted to be close by if something to happen to see GG and to support Nancy. GG is Wade's last living grandparent. Even though she will be 91 in August, it will still be difficult to see her go.
So we decided to "vacation" at home. It has been nice to have Wade around all day long and to spend large amounts of time together as a family. Coffee on the back porch in the mornings while the kids sleep in is so nice. We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday on Saturday and the kids have had their cousins over for several days in a row. They don't get to see them as much as they would like to, so they are in heaven.
We have been able to get some projects done around here, too. We don't want this a working vacation, but we did need to get the garden in and the flower bed finished. Those things have been done and it didn't take us long at all.
Now we are staying up way too late (all except Wade), sleeping way too long in the mornings, eating way too much yummy food and just enjoying our time "off." We have a few things planned in the days ahead, but mostly just being together. We have learned some new games which are fun and we were able to go pick up Leah's kitten today.
I will say that I love being home and having vacations like this. I wouldn't have chosen this, but God is good all the time. He knew that He wanted me at my dad's 70th birthday lunch and I would have missed it. He knew that we would want to be near GG at this point in her life. He knew that we would enjoy getting things done around here and just hanging out together.
I am so thankful for my family. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who loves us very much and serves us very selflessly. My kids truly are a gift from the Lord. We are enjoying our times of talking, laughing and playing together with each one of them. It is not necessarily about WHERE we are (vacationing), but more about WHO we are together. Yes, we made plans, but we are so glad God directs our steps for He is good all the time.
We were supposed to be heading out to Branson with Wade's parents last Friday through this Friday. However, on Thursday night, in the midst of piling things by the back door to load into the Suburban, Wade's mom called to say that she couldn't go. Long story short, her mom, affectionately known as "GG" to my kids and "Maw" to Wade, had taken a turn for the worse and she didn't want to leave her. Well, we didn't want to go without them, so we decided to reschedule. We wanted to be close by if something to happen to see GG and to support Nancy. GG is Wade's last living grandparent. Even though she will be 91 in August, it will still be difficult to see her go.
So we decided to "vacation" at home. It has been nice to have Wade around all day long and to spend large amounts of time together as a family. Coffee on the back porch in the mornings while the kids sleep in is so nice. We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday on Saturday and the kids have had their cousins over for several days in a row. They don't get to see them as much as they would like to, so they are in heaven.
We have been able to get some projects done around here, too. We don't want this a working vacation, but we did need to get the garden in and the flower bed finished. Those things have been done and it didn't take us long at all.
Now we are staying up way too late (all except Wade), sleeping way too long in the mornings, eating way too much yummy food and just enjoying our time "off." We have a few things planned in the days ahead, but mostly just being together. We have learned some new games which are fun and we were able to go pick up Leah's kitten today.
I will say that I love being home and having vacations like this. I wouldn't have chosen this, but God is good all the time. He knew that He wanted me at my dad's 70th birthday lunch and I would have missed it. He knew that we would want to be near GG at this point in her life. He knew that we would enjoy getting things done around here and just hanging out together.
I am so thankful for my family. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who loves us very much and serves us very selflessly. My kids truly are a gift from the Lord. We are enjoying our times of talking, laughing and playing together with each one of them. It is not necessarily about WHERE we are (vacationing), but more about WHO we are together. Yes, we made plans, but we are so glad God directs our steps for He is good all the time.
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